Notes

Buy Stage Lighting Truss Structures Texas
Rites of Passage for a Model Railway - 4: The Permanent Way, Signalling and Superstructure
Signalling and signal cabins featured strongly in the North East as you will see from the photographs in this book by Colin Gifford on the final days of steam in your community. There were signals for each move, resulting often in forests of signals between Northumberland and the Humber.


From seeing professional stage lighting equipment to signals and scenery
Signalling the layout, researching the location
Assuming you've drilled holes beside the trackbed to feed signal operating and point operating wires, it is time to decide how you're going to run this railway model you are putting together. Could it be for yourself, are you currently a member of an organization and do you intend to exhibit at shows. and how big is it?
I visited an exhibition at the weekend, the East London Finescale Exhibition 2011 mounted at a technological college by way of a local group, the East Ham & District Model Railway Club. The number of model railway layouts exhibited varied between late 19th-earl 20th Century Great Eastern, East Lynn and late 20th Century modern image with diesels and colour light signalling. Also - and perhaps as important - were suppliers of kits and bits, proprietary and ready-to-run model items, and a periodical and book dealer. Without the suppliers and book dealers we have no idea what's available and what we are able to use as inspiration, if we need any to motivate us. What I came away with was something I'd been searching for (the Parkside PC83 Diag. 5 plastic LNER Horsebox kit) , a couple of things I took a liking to ( Dart Castings loco crew figures and a Shire Scenics etched brass LNER platform luggage barrow) plus some insight into what can be performed by groups or individuals with help from others.
Moreover I saw how other modellers had handled semaphore signalling and point control. One layout I looked closely at included point and signal rodding. Even though rodding in this case was 'cosmetic', i.e., non-functional, it conveyed a 'complete image' . In other words you could have a photograph of the layout and take the result being an image of genuine - you can in the end have a colour image and 'tweak' it to look like period sepia black & white image. With modelling we are after all in the business of creating an impression, are we not? It is possible to take it as far as your skills or imagination/observation enables you to, and stand back to see what others label of it.

I will go on it that the model layout in question will employ semaphore signalling. We have a selection in this respect, of plastic or metal kits. Even with plastic kits there is an element of hardware, i.e., hooks and eyes to direct the wiring from controller to signal. Ratio models produce acceptable semaphore signals for different British railway regions, and they supply control mechanisms to use them by, with levers. You'll must be careful with them, as fragile as they are. Replacing parts will not be expensive, but could be complicated in repair. Apart from Ratio's products are Model Signal Engineering (MSE). The corporation is situated in northern Lincolnshire, and like Ratio have a website and extensive product and price lists. MSE, however, have a much wider range and offer not only newer semaphore and colour light products, but those to represent earlier and far-flung railway companies such as Great North of Scotland and Midland & Great Northern railway companies which were later incorporated into the London & North Eastern or 'London & Nearly Everywhere' railway (LNER). In order to model the Taff Vale Railway in Wales they've got them, too, in 4mm, 7mm scale or others.

If you're a dab hand with a soldering iron, MSE presents no problems, as ladders, posts and other non-moving parts are made of etched brass and white metal. Signal arms, cranks and other moving elements are attched, bent and tweaked into shape. Coloured plastic sheet is supplied for for spectacle plates. To help with constructing signals there are two good paper-back publications avaialble: 1) 'Mainline Modelling:1 Constructing & Operating SEMAPHORE SIGNALS published by Challenger ISBN 1-899624-32-5, 2) 'A Scratchbuilder's Guide to SEMAPHORE SIGNALLING CONSTRUCTION' by Peter Squibb, published by Wild Swan, ISBN 978-1-905184-68-2. Both books give many illustrations and line diagrams, mainly b/w plus some colour photographs of signals on different regions, of the intermediate stages and the finished modelled results. They also provide ancillary details such as for example safety rails, steps to make them and where you can put them. You can find signalling diagrams that will help you decide what signals go where, and just why. Armed with that sort of research, how can you fail (- well, I could and have, but that's another story)!

Step-by-step instructions receive - the initial book was written together with MSE's products, and present a very detailed idea of your progress. They also describe pitfalls and how to avoid them. The next book is particularly helpful on Great Western (GW) and London Midland & Scottish (LMSR) constituent signalling. Some LNER constituent signalling is included. I'd read these publications and take photographs on location where possible before tackling the scale versions, it could save plenty of headaches!

Assuming you've passed the stage of selecting, modelling and positioning of your signals, the next stage is signal boxes (or 'cabins' in Northeastern parlance). Choosing the signal control structures is as important as obtaining the signalling itself right. Right? OK, just checking.

Each company, each region on British railways differs, of their constituent areas and also down the same branches. Within the North Eastern originally there have been the Northern, Central and Southern Divisions making use of their own signalling engineers and architects. Later the Central division was dropped, leaving the other two overlapping, In LNER days new, blander concrete and brick structures on the York-Newcastle stretch replaced the more ornate period types because of bomb damage after WWII. Pressures of time, money and convenience. If you're prepared to depict, say, Northallerton, Darlington or other modern structures such as Stratford (London East) and Croydon (Southern) on your line study the buildings. While there are obvious similarities there are also nuances.

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